The morning of December 9, I was struggling and we had barely begun working. I work with Joe Martin as a literature evangelist, and this particular morning we were working in Loveland, Colorado. Before Thanksgiving break, while playing in a basketball scrimmage, I completely tore my ACL and also parts of my meniscus. I will have to have surgery over Christmas break and then miss 6-8 weeks of work for recovery. Through special organized prayer offered by Principal Don Reeder, Pastor Micheal Goetz, my coach Glenn O’Halloran, and my parents, the Lord strengthened my knee enough to continue walking door-to-door sharing Jesus. However, walking was not painless, and that Wednesday morning was proving to be especially difficult. I asked God to strengthen and bless me as I was trying to give Him my best despite my condition.

I approached a small house with a white picket fence and rang the doorbell. A gentleman came to the door. I explained that I went to a Christian school and began to tell him what I was selling and about the cookbook, when he cut me short. He asked if he could simply give me a donation. Of course I said, “Yes.”

He reached into his wallet, and he pulled out a $100 bill. I was shocked. I tried to leave him all of my books, but he refused. I said many thanks and was on my way. I stood in his driveway filling out the receipt when he came back out of his house and asked me how much tuition was. I gave him an approximate answer and he asked how much I needed. I told him that he had already been more than generous, but as I did, he held out to me an additional $500. I was at a loss for words. I told him that I would feel awful if he did not take at least one book, so he took a Peace Above the Storm.

Then I said, “Before I leave, I just have to ask; Why would you do something like this for me?” And after a moment he said, “Because Jesus did it for us.” That statement brought tears to my eyes as the weight of those words sank in. I prayed with him, said as many thanks as I could, and continued on. It wasn't until later when I was able to meet up with Pastor Joe and share the news that he pointed the most amazing part of it out to me. He reminded me that $600 is equivalent to approximately 2 months of work, and the doctor had told me it would be 6-8 weeks (2 months) before I would be able to work following my surgery.

This injury has been difficult for me, but now I know without a doubt that God will bring far more good from it than the pain I have felt. I may not know what it is right now but I'm willing to trust God and see how He will continue to work through this temporary setback. Receiving the exact amount you need in the form of hundreds of dollars does not happen by chance. God knew I had a need, and He filled it. As the kind man implied, Jesus paid it all for us, so what should stop us from giving what we can back to God?

Dan Philpott began teaching Campion’s woodworking classes 9 years ago, and students are turning out more impressive work than ever. The 23 students enrolled in this semester’s class completed lathe work, glued projects, and computer-aided engraving.

In a consumer-oriented society, enabling students to work with their hands and their imaginations is more important than ever. Woodworking class does exactly that, and Philpott works alongside students to help them create their designs.

A recent visit to Campion’s shop revealed nearly every student busy with some task, whether it was sanding a wooden bowl on a lathe, cutting wood on a band saw, using a computer to set the parameters for a CNC project, or spraying varnish on a finished piece.

Most students complete at least 5 or 6 projects and incorporate any number of woodworking techniques such as finger-jointed corners, which sophomore Tommy Eickmann used to create a small chest.

Sophomores Emanuel Espino and David Marroquin both completed about a dozen projects each, varying from wooden pens to checker boards. Their enthusiasm hinged on their creative license. The freedom to choose his own projects is also what Cesar Lowrance likes the best. “We can be as creative as we want and can make whatever we want,” he said.

When Philpott began teaching the class in 2006, the shop contained a ban saw and a drill press. With his continued management, the shop now boasts over $20,000 worth of machines, including various lathes, sanders, saws, and finishing materials.

The latest addition to the woodshop’s array of machines is a computerized numeric control (CNC) engraving machine, which allows the students to manipulate an image or text using the machine’s software, and then set parameters that guide a drill bit to cut or engrave the image in wood.

Sophomore Hannah Phelps said, “Using your imagination, you can really make about anything in this class.” Her classmate Devaney Bright agreed. As they both watched the CNC machine cut shapes of the continents out of a piece of cherry wood, Bright described projects she has made for her mom and her current inlaid map project. “I like learning how to use tools that I wouldn’t have gotten a chance to otherwise,” she added. Both she and Phelps are planning on taking welding class from Mr. Philpott next semester.

“I want the students to feel comfortable in a shop setting, use different machines, and work with their hands,” he said. Campion—and Dan Philpott—value hands-on education that provides students with skills they can use now and in the future. Philpott hopes students will walk away with the skills and confidence to tackle future projects and household fixes themselves.

Stephen Johnson, who has prior woodworking experience with his dad and grandpa, has spent about a month working on a wooden bowl. He said, “My favorite thing about the class is just making stuff and working with your hands.”

Senior Steven Reinke thinks woodworking class is "more fun because it’s more interactive.” Here he finishes a pen on the lathe.

Students in Independent Living class were not making delicious meals in an attempt to bribe their teacher, Kathy Binder; they were competing for a first place grade in her garnish contest. The criteria? Make a potato and pasta taste good and look appetizing.

In this unit, Kathy Binder's objective is to teach students how people's sense of taste is affected by their senses of touch, sight, and smell. To put this concept into practice, teams of her students cooked up a meal to be judged by Deans Jim Hughes and Erin Johnson and two other students. They judged on creativity, appearance, and taste.

Hands-on learning, problem solving, and assessment by real audiences are all part of 21st-Century Learning, which aims at providing students with skills and knowledge to succeed in work, life, and citizenship. While many schools don't offer a traditional home economics class anymore, Campion values how Mrs. Binder's class combines science and practical skills in a way that prepares students for living on their own.

Independent Living class is a senior elective focusing on basic home and family skills. This semester students are learning about basic food preparation, nutrition, and meal planning. Next semester focuses on child development, sewing, and housing. While this may sound old-fashioned to some students, it will only take a college year of dry cereal and Ramen to convince them that this is a class worth taking! You'll never have to ask, "When am I ever going to use this in real life?"

Kim Supit, a member of the winning garnish team, said, “If you’re not sure how to do domestic activities, it’s worth your time, because you learn how to cook and sew. I already knew how to cook, but I learned how to organize a kitchen. And I learned [the hard way] that you need to follow the recipe, or you might mess up the consistency of your cookies.”

Seniors Claudia Balbin, Kim Supit, and Xander Assa won first place for their work (shown 2nd from right).